Garfield: Unchained
by JakOvsumTrade
Summary: Things change, and Beast Boy's friends are all growing up and leaving him behind. But the littlest Titan's journey isn't done yet. Watch as Beast Boy grows into his powers and explores his limits, meeting new and interesting people along the way. No Pairings, Strong!BeastBoy, not Super!BeastBoy, and finally, no bashing. Now that that's done, on with the story!
1. How Long is Forever?

AN: Beast Boy is my favorite Titan, and sure, Cyborg is smarter, Starfire is stronger, Raven has magic, and Robin is badass, but BB has something none of them have. Pointed ears! Chicks dig the ears. In all seriousness, Beast Boy could be really powerful, with the ability to become any animal, even ones he's never seen. In one episode, _Crashed_ , he even turns into an amoeba, which isn't an animal! Could he turn into aliens? A tamaranean, perhaps? What about a demon like Trigon? Or a dragon like Malchior?

Some of you may be worried where this story is going, and I totally understand. Writing that spiel above made me feel sick. A dragon, imagine?! I want to assure you this won't be a story where Beast Boy is overpowered and gets a giant harem, and then Robin gets jealous and kicks him off the team, etc. I hate stories like that, and I imagine many of you do as well. . Also, no pairings (I suck at writing romance, but if someone manages to convince me, I'll try).

The ages I'm running with for the Titans are as follows:

Cyborg: 20

Robin: 19

Starfire: 19

Raven: 18

Beast Boy: 16

And with all that said, enjoy!

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Disclaimer: I do not own **Teen Titans** , obviously.

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' _How Long is Forever?' - the time Starfire gets sent to the future._

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"What do you mean you're disbanding the Titans?!" And the day had seemed to be going so well up until now.

Beast Boy has been going about his business as usual, eating tofu dogs and playing video games in his room, trying to keep himself occupied until the next crisis seeing as how Cyborg was too busy to play with him anymore. This was his seventh run of the game on nightmare, and it was getting boring for him, but until a new game came out, he was stuck.

Just as he was about to beat the final boss once again, Robin's voice sounded over the PA, "Titans, team meeting, report to the Ops. Room immediately."

Pressing start to pause the game, Beast Boy put down the controller and stood, stretching his arms over his head and mewling like a pleased kitten. Upon hearing the noise, he immediately stopped and looked around, paranoid that someone had heard the unmanly sound he had emitted. Cyborg would never let him live it down if he heard.

Figuring he had stalled enough, Beast Boy left his room and casually ambled towards the Ops Room. Sure, he had stalled, and everyone else was probably already there, but Beast Boy wasn't the kind to rush to work, which was undoubtedly what Robin had been calling about. That's all he ever called about. Training, work, training, chores, training, and, of course, training. Why couldn't he ever call about a new Mega Monkeys™ game or something.

The doors to the Ops Room slid open and four heads turned to face Beast Boy. Raven, Starfire, and Cyborg were all seated on the curved sofa, while Robin stood before them impassively. Beast Boy took his time walking down the steps, just to see how far he could push them, especially Robin, but was met with no results.

Had been a few years before, Beast Boy knew that Robin would have been tapping his foot exaggeratedly and looking pointedly at his wrist as if checking a watch, while Cyborg would have shouted at him to hurry up his green butt. Starfire would have said something innocent and Raven wouldn't have even looked up from her book. But they had all done a lot of growing up over the years they spent as superheros.

"Man, couldn't you hold off a few more minutes, Rob? I was just about to beat the game" Beast Boy vaulted over the back of the couch and landed lying down, hands folded beneath his head. He looked up and Raven who was seated beside him and winked, "Hey there, Momma, you looking fine today."

Well, at least most of them had.

Raven did not acknowledge him, but did vanish in a black swirl and reappeared on the other side of the couch. Beast Boy sat up with a sigh, knowing that his fun was over for now.

"Now that everyone is here, we can begin. First, I'd like to say that it has been an honor working with all of you, and I would not trade the times we spent together for the world."

"Stop being so melodramatic, Rob!" Beast Boy called out as he grinned, "You make it sound like you're leaving the team!"

"If you would let me finish," Robin responded, to which Beast Boy's grin became slightly rueful, but did not completely vanish, secure in his belief that everything would be fine in the end. Robin could only sigh mentally and hoped that he would not be hurting the boy too much. Sure, he was immature and chaotic, but he was still family.

"What I wanted to say, is that I'm very proud of all of you, and being the leader of this team has humbled me in many ways. I've learned so much from working with you and the rest of the Titans, I would not be the man I am today without you. Bu-"

"You didn't have to call a team meeting for this, Rob, we all know we're awesome, right guys? I mean, it's nice to be recognized, but you don't need to tell this to us, we all know how you feel because we feel it too!"

"Beast Boy, please let me finish."

"Right, sorry, go on."

"As I was saying, we've done good work together, and I couldn't be prouder of all of you. But we're not kids anymore, we're adults, and as adults, we have to go out and find our own place in this world. We've all grown, and the roles we filled in the Titans are too confining for us now. That's why, as of now, I am officially disbanding the Titans. I'm also retiring the name of Robin. Jump City is safe as can be now, but other cities out there need help. I'm going to be moving to Bludhaven and taking up the new name of Nightwing. This may come as a shock to some of you, but I know you can all make it on your own."

Robin, or the soon-to-be Nightwing, looked at his old teammates, trying to gage their reactions. Raven, as always, had a neutral expression and was completely unreadable, but after working with her closely for so long, Robin was able to notice various tells of her moods. He didn't see any that indicated she was upset, so he moved on.

Starfire's eyes were a bit misty, but she hadn't broken down, so Robin took that as a good sign. The polar opposite of Raven, Star wore her heart on her sleeve and could never hide her feelings. Robin especially could read her as an open book, and saw no signs that she was hit too hard. She had probably been expecting this for a while, knowing him just as well as he knew her.

Cyborg was almost as difficult to read as Raven, seeing as how his robot parts didn't react, and so only half the tics that most people had were visible on him. However, reading body language was one of Robin's specialties and he could tell that Cyborg angry like he had expected. More melancholy than anything.

Beast Boy was a completely different story to the rest. He sat there, slack jawed, mouth hanging open, eyes unfocused. Robin could tell the exact moment Beast Boy came back to reality as his jaw snapped shut and his face reddened with rage. He rose up to his full height, still half a foot shorter than Robin, his hair seemingly rising on it's own as well to add to his fierceness. Robin knew it was a side effect of his powers, and wasn't intimidated by the instinctual actions on Beast Boy's part to make him appear bigger than he actually was.

"What do you mean you're disbanding the Titans?! Retiring as Robin?! Nightwing?! Listen to yourself! You can't just disband the team! We're a family! We're gonna stay together forever, beating bad guys and being awesome! Even if you wanted to leave, you can't ruin it for the rest of us! We want to stay Titans!"

Forever? Did Beast Boy truly believe that the Titans were going to be together forever? Perhaps Robin had misjudged his maturity. He knew that Beast Boy would take it the worst, but Robin had figured that he would appreciate the new freedom to do as he pleased. Robin had erred big time here, and he knew it. This miscalculation could break Beast Boy if the situation wasn't handled properly. He was just opening his mouth to try and diffuse the tension when Starfire floated up beside Beast Boy and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I am afraid that is not possible friend Beast Boy," Starfire gave him a sad smile as he turned to her, confusion clear in his eyes. "Even had friend Robin not disbanded the team himself today, I would have left soon."

"Wha, b-b-but why?"

"I am the princess of Tamaran, Beast Boy, you know this. I have spent many years here on Earth, and I have greatly enjoyed my time with all of you, but I must return to my home. I have been unfair to Galfore for making him bear my duties for this long, I cannot tarry any longer. I am sure he has done well as regent, but my return would strengthen the morale of my people while hopefully making our enemies reconsider before attacking."

Beast Boy had no response he could give without sounding incredibly selfish and whiny, and he knew it. How could he place his importance over that of an entire planet. Fortunately, he didn't have to respond as Cyborg stepped up next. Unfortunately, he didn't like what Cyborg said at all.

"She's not the only one, BB. Rob is right, we've grown up and we can't be the Teen Titans any more. I'm twenty, BB, twenty. Not even a teenager anymore. There are things I want to do, goals I want to accomplish. I got an invitation to join the Justice League. You know how long I've wanted to do that. But I can't do that and be a Titan. We aren't the same people we were when we first met up, and if we try to be, we'll only hold ourselves back. Pardon the pun, but it's time we flew from the nest."

Beast Boy couldn't help but feel betrayed, and Cyborg could see it in his expression. Feeling guilty he looked away, but he did not apologize or take anything back. It had to be said, and Beast Boy would understand that eventually. Cyborg could give him time.

Turning to the last member of his team, Beast Boy held on to the hope that Raven would not want to leave. He knew that they all meant the world to her, even if she never showed it, and was sure that she would agree with him that they had to stick together. He tried to ask her what she thought, but all that came out was a soft "Raven...?" before his voice cracked and he could no longer make it work. Maybe he wasn't as sure of her answer as he had thought.

Looking at him broke Raven's heart, and she very nearly capitulated, but before she could say that she believed they should stay together, her resolve was firmed by, surprisingly, all of her emoticlones. Happiness and Timidity were holding each other, crying. Bravery was pacing anxiously, and Rudeness never once said that she was wearing a trench with her constant back-and-forth. Knowledge stood straight, staring at nothing with eyes glazed over. Sloth was awake, sitting beside a silent Rage, the two of them watching the others with tired eyes. Passion was not even there.

"When we defeated Trigon two years ago, I absorbed his power. Not all at once, as that would have killed me, but little by little. Soon, I will have collected all of his power that still remains here. When that happens, I will likely be unstable. I have already arranged to leave to Azarath to gain control of my new power where I cannot harm anyone. I am afraid of what could happen if I stay. I am sorry, Beast Boy, but I too must leave. Staying a Titan is not an option. I do not know when I will return, if I do."

That was the straw the broke the camel's back for Beast Boy. In one afternoon, his whole world was turned upside down and shaken like a snowglobe. Being with the Titans was the only good thing that had ever happened to him, it almost made becoming a freak worth it. Without them he was nothing. He couldn't even imagine what he would do on his own. When he had left the Doom Patrol he had tried to be a solo hero for a while, and that hadn't worked out well. He was stronger now, yeah, but he had been part of a team so long, he wasn't sure he even remembered how to fight on his own.

"So that's it then?"

Robin's soft, somber smile was all the answe Beast Boy needed, "Even if we won't be Titans any more, we'll always be family. I can't say how proud I am of all of you and all the things you have done. We may be parting ways physically, but you will be with me always in my mind. What's mine is yours, for now and forever. Finally, if there's trouble, well, you know who to call."


	2. Fractured

AN: For those of you who stuck around past the first chapter, thanks for having faith. I know I'm not the best writer and there are a lot better things you could be doing with your time than reading my stuff, it does me great pleasure to know that people acknowledge me as worthwhile enough to spend a few minutes on.

If you're worried about missing your favorite characters, don't. This isn't the last we'll see of the original Titans, and I'll be sure to include the honorary Titans as well.

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Disclaimer: I do not own **Teen Titans** , obviously.

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' _Fractured' - the time Larry showed up._

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Beast Boy found himself staring into his room from the corridor, looking but not seeing. He knew he was supposed to start packing, or at least start thinking about what he wanted to pack, but he still couldn't wrap his head around the idea that the Titans were a thing of the past. He had never before thought about what he wanted to do after being a Titan, it just hadn't come up in his head.

He wanted to be mad at Robin, or should he say Nightwing, but Beast Boy knew that wasn't really fair. After all, out of all of them, he alone had no plans to leave. He had heard their reasons, and understood that for them this is the logical next step, but he didn't like it. It sort of felt like they were abandoning him. They all had plans, but didn't even bother telling him about them or asking if he had any plans. Heck, he wasn't even an adult, legally. Sure, he had gotten his driver's license recently, but it wasn't like he could buy a house, vote, get a proper job, or go to a strip club! In fairness, he didn't particularly want to do any of those things, except maybe... no, no, can't think like that, not for another two years, anyways. But still, it's the thought the counts.

He turned away and let the door close behind him. He just couldn't do it, not yet. He needed to go clear his head. A good fly would be perfect, maybe a dive into the bay and a quick splash around. He was just about to head around the corner towards the elevator when Raven's door slid open behind him.

"We're all sorry, you know. We didn't mean to hurt you."

Looking over his shoulder, Beast Boy snorted in derision. It was so out of character for him that Raven almost took a step back and was completely unprepared for him to speak, "Well, you did a great job at that, didn't you?"

Seeing how he had thrown her for a loop, Beast Boy instantly regretted his actions, "Look, I'm sorry, too. But... I need some time. Give me some space, and when I'm ready, we can talk if you still want to."

He continued to the elevator figuring she wouldn't respond further. Even after all these years, she was still distant with him, and had lately been avoiding him whenever she could. He didn't really believe that she wanted to talk to him, he was shocked that she had even apologized for the others about breaking the team. Many claimed that Beast Boy never learned, but he had quickly realized Raven's limits, and he only kept pushing because he found her overreactions amusing. He knew that just approaching him on this issue was a lot for her. She had far exceeded any expectations he had for her.

Just as he was about to press the button to call the elevator, a quiet voice echoed down the hall, "I'd like that."

Beast Boy froze, shocked, and by the time he looked behind him, the hallway was empty. Shaking his head in amazement, Beast Boy turned back to the elevator doors just in time so see them open with a 'ding.' he stepped in and pressed the button for the ground floor. After a few minutes of waiting with only repetitive background music to keep him company, Beast Boy was just about ready to rip out his hair. Maybe he should have angered Raven a bit so that she'd throw him out a window, it wouldn't be any more painful than this. Why was the Tower so tall?!

He had only managed to bang his head against the wall a couple of times before the elevator doors slid open once more, thankfully to an empty lobby. Not wanting to deal with anyone else for now, Beast Boy hurried out of the building and jumped into the sea, shifting into a mako shark in mid air. With a great splash, he sunk into the water and began to swim towards the far shore.

Swimming was one of Beast boy's favorite things, it was even better than flying. The effortless way he could cut straight through the water, the comforting way it seemed to embrace him, it just felt right. Right in a way very few things did.

Beast Boy jumped out of his water in his shark form and quickly shifted into a red-tailed hawk. With a few powerful flaps of his wings, Beast Boy was lifted high into the sky, using the thermal currents to rise without exerting much effort. Once he was as high as he could go, he tilted slightly and angled himself in the direction of the nearby forest.

Beast Boy was able to just glide for most of the trip to the glade he frequented when he needed some space, with only a couple flaps for rightening his course and gaining a bit of altitude. He would always come to the clearing when he needed to think, and didn't want to be disturbed by the other Titans as he might at his rock. The rock was neat, sure, but it was a little too close to actually be private. The fact that all the rest of the Titans knew about it did not win the spot any points in that department.

The glade, however, was hidden and could only be seen from above unless you were pretty much already in it. He was fairly certain that he alone knew about it. And though the other Titans did not notice, he had actually come to this place quite often in the recent months. What with the others 'growing up' and doing more adult things, he was left with more and more time alone. Yes, he did spend most of it gaming, but playing by yourself gets boring quickly, and for someone who had already beaten all his games a hundred times since he didn't have to go to school and his job was situational, that meant he needed to find something else to do. Luckily, after only a couple flights away from the Tower, he had found this glade and decided to give meditation a try since Raven kept raving about it. Well, she didn't really ever rave about anything, but Beast Boy figured since her name was Raven, she was technically always raving.

He gave a little mental chuckle at the thought of Raven at a club, grinding on some guy in way too much makeup. Then he remembered what always happened next in movies and had to stop himself from throwing up. Beast Boy definitely did not want to picture any of the Titans in situations like that.

He settled down on a fallen tree and tried to relax. He didn't know any meditation techniques, and he didn't know if he was doing it right, but he always tried to just sink into the world around him. It was hard for Beast Boy to explain, but he just felt this connection to nature that would call out to him. Usually it was too faint to hear, but when he was in an isolated environment it was as if something was actually holding onto him and pulling him into the wild.

It happened to him when he was alone after quitting the Doom Patrol, it happened to him when they fought Thunder and Lightning in the forest, it even happened to him in the desert where they first met Ter—

"Okay, new topic. Come on brain, don't fail me now."

Beast Boy managed to calm himself down again, but this time he didn't try to lose himself in the song of life. Instead he tried thinking about what he should do. Crying and shouting and throwing a tantrum wouldn't do anything. The other Titans had already decided, they were committed to parting ways. The only question was where did that leave Beast Boy.

He didn't feel ready to go back into the solo business, not after his last attempt, and he didn't have anyone he was really close too outside of the team. Pantha, Herald, Jericho, Más, Menos, and himself all kept in touch after their victory over the Brotherhood, but they all had their own problems so he couldn't burden them with his. But there weren't very many places for a green freak like him. It wasn't like he could just go anywhere and blend in perfectly.

And then Beast Boy knew what he had to do. Standing up in determination, Beast Boy steeled himself for what was to come.

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Beast boy drew in a deep breath, and then knocked on Raven's door. He did not have to wait longer for her to answer it. In her usual style, she opened the door just a tad to see who was there. Unusually for her, though, when she saw it was Beast Boy, Raven did not shut it immediately and tell him to go away. Instead she opened the door all the way and invited him inside.

This was quite possibly the first time Beast Boy had been in Raven's room with her permission before, but the melancholy atmosphere ruined the experience for him. She motioned for him to sit on the bed and asked him if he wanted any tea. He respectfully declined. While it is true that he had given meditation a try and found it to actually be very nice, he still thought that green tea was gross.

"Will you be alright?"

Raven nodded, knowing what he meant immediately. "I shouldn't be in any danger," She said, "but it might be dangerous to be around me for a while." They sat together in silence for a while. "What about you?"

"I think so."

"Do you know what you want to do?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna travel a bit, see new things, you know? "

The silence returned, more companionable this time. Beast Boy laid back and folded his arms behind his head, just listening to the calming sound of Raven sipping her tea and turning the pages of her book. The memories those sounds brought back saddened him, forcing him to acknowledge the fact that he won't hear them again for who knows how long. However, his resolve that the next time he met his friends he would be strong enough to support them in their endeavours so they won't ever leave him behind again was firmed.

They spent the better part of an hour like that, Beast Boy lost in his thoughts and Raven trying to focus on the words in front of her and not the devouring loneliness in her immediate future. But all things must end, and Beast Boy can only sit—or lie in this case—still for so long.

As he was leaving, Beast Boy turned around and asked, "When you come back, Raven, give me a call, yeah?"

She looked surprised, probably not expecting him to have more to say. She should have known, of course, that Beast Boy always has something to say.

"Beast Boy, you know I might neve—"

"No. You will come back, I'm sure of it. And when you do, we'll find Robin—sorry, Nightwing—and Cyborg, and we'll build a spaceship to get to tamaran. Then we'll pick up Starfire and go on a tour of the whole galaxy. Having fun and preventing crime, Titan style!"

Beast Boy knew that some doubt seeped into his tone, and he had no doubts that Raven picked up on it, but she did not show if she did. Instead, she just gave him a small smile, barely even an upturn of the corners of her lips, and nodded.


End file.
